Monarda didyma
Family: Lamiaceae
Common Name: Bee Balm, Oswego Tea

The tea drunk by the North American colonists at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 after they had refused to buy tea from Britain was made from the leaves of bergamot. Bergamot is still used today as a tea, but is also used to flavor salads and pork and veal dishes. The whole plant has a delicious fragrance and the flowers are rich in nectar. Bees are attracted to them, hence the common name, bee balm. The flowers and leaves dry well and are used in potpourri. Oil of bergamot, popular in aromatherapy, does not come from this plant but from Citrus bergamia.

Varieties

M. didyma has rough, hairy leaves and showy red flowers, similar to those of honeysuckle, in summer. It grows to 1 m (3 ft). Apart from being cultivated for its culinary and drying uses, bergamot is also grown in perennial borders. Several cultivars have been produced, with pink, mauve and scarlet flowers. Cultivars 'Cambridge Scarlet' and 'Croftway Pink' are probably the most popular.

Cultivation

Bergamot likes a rich, moist soil and full sun or partial shade. In spring, apply a dressing of well-rotted poultry manure. It dies right back in autumn and should be cut to the ground at this time. Give plenty of water in dry weather or it will completely die out. It is easily propagated from runners or, alternatively, from seed or by division.

Climate

Zone 4 and above.